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7) Variety
Here is a very simple rule; a good game has to hold the player's interest. This means that every inch of the game must be labored over, with endless hours of work spent creating new and different types of challenges. A truly great game will throw something new and unexpected at the player around every turn.
- Mixing up the Visuals
Just as it is important to offer varied challenges in the gameplay, it's also imperative for the game to change its look from time to time. You wouldn't want every level to have a different shade of blue, or each stage to have the same conceptual theme.
- Don't Overdo It
Too much variety can be a bad thing. A game needs to keep a constant feel, a solid focus on what makes up the heart of gameplay. The trick is to slightly alter the way the game is played from level to level, without changing it at its basic level. It should feel like one cohesive game, not several "mini-games" forced together.
8) Fairness
Nothing is more frustrating - you're trying your hardest, doing your best, and it just doesn't matter. Despite the weeks you've put into learning the game, the computer just keeps on beating you - and it's doing it by cheating.
- Leveling the Playing Field
The computer-controlled opponents should have to adhere the same rules the players do, and have the same restrictions where it makes sense. For example, how many times have you played an action game in which you have to skillfully maneuver your way past a danger - say, a lava pit - while the computer-controlled enemies simply walk through the lava after you, completely unharmed? Every inhabitant of the game world should be treated equally and fairly, so that you don't automatically start the game with unfair disadvantages.
9) Control
A good game must have easy, intuitive controls that make sense. This sounds a lot simpler than it really is. Within that first hour of playing, players should completely forget that they're even holding their controllers or using a keyboard.
- Point of View
When designing the control of the game, you also have to decide which perspective the game will be played from first-person or third-person. Both have several advantages and disadvantages, so each one works better depending on the type of game. Generally, first-person games have the advantage of making you feel like you're "in" the game. The theory is that there is no on-screen character to get in the way, so the illusion is created that you're looking through your own eyes, in the game world. However, using a third-person view has other distinct advantages, and if done well, you'll feel just as immersed in the game. The third-person can really let you get into the role of your character because you've got a constant reminder of your role.
10) 3-D vs. 2-D
News flash; 3-D games aren't inherently better than 2-D ones (gasp)! I know, I know - it's hard to believe. After all, if 2-D games were still any good, then why would every game developer under the sun spend millions of dollars on the latest hi-tech 3-D render technology? The reason is simple; it's a fad. Developers will tell you that 2-D games don't sell anymore, but that's only because nobody makes them.
- What 3-D Provides
With a 2-D game, you're always watching it from the outside, usually from just one side. But with 3-D, the game world surrounds and envelopes you, and it's easier to believe that you are a natural part of that world
- What 2-D Provides
Still though, some ideas just work better in 2-D. What you generally get is tighter control, and a much better sense of where things are in relation to the player. This can be imperative with action games because of all the spatial puzzles that are involved, such as jumping from platform to platform judging the distance between yourself and an enemy.
11) Consider the Hardware
It's extremely important that developers consider the limitations of the hardware before making a game. A game with 5,000 rooms to explore may sound like an impressive idea, but if players are forced to wait through 10 seconds of load time or lag between each room, forget it!
- Keeping it Real
Some recent games have tried to reach a little too far with 3-D environments and heavy amounts of polygons. As a result, other important factors suffer, such as the framerate or number of characters allowed on the screen at once. A good developers knows his limitations and works with them. Also, it's important to keep the focus on what's most crucial - the gameplay. Gameplay always comes first. Sometimes developers just have to accept that the game that they want to make cannot be supported by the hardware well enough to warrant making it. |